Boy, 14, was used as a slave by criminal who thought 'only of himself'

Wales Online

6 hours ago

Boy, 14, was used as a slave by criminal who thought 'only of himself'
The teenager
Tyler Barnsley, 18, recruited a 14-year-old boy to deliver cocaine and cannabis for him.
(Image: Gwent Police )
A 14-year-old boy was used as a modern day slave by a drug dealer who gave him cannabis as a reward, a court heard. The teenager was used by dealer Tyler Barnsley, 18, to deliver drugs and accept orders on his behalf.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Barnsley, who admitted an offence of trafficking under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, had shown "no concern for the child's welfare" and was "only thinking of himself and his drug profits".
Newport Crown Court heard that cocaine and cannabis dealer Barnsley had previously been made subject to a court order preventing him from having contact with the teenager but he flouted the rules.
An investigation into his drug operation based from his grandmother's home in Tredegar led to a raid on September 27 last year when police seized items including a total of 135g of cannabis worth more than £1,350.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard a number of phones were also seized, a brown-handled knife, and drug paraphernalia including snap bags, weighing scales, green vegetable matter. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter.
Prior to the defendant's arrest, a package from Thailand addressed to "Nigel Thomas" at the address in Ebenezer Court, had been intercepted and was found to contain 3,080g of cannabis.
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Prosecutor Emma Harris said Barnsley's phones were examined and two of the phones contained messages relating to the supply of cocaine and cannabis.
The messages also highlighted the defendant had recruited his 14-year-old victim as a drug runner.
The boy was directed by Barnsley to deliver quantities of drugs and accept orders on his behalf.
There were also images and videos of the boy on the defendant's phone which showed he would have been aware of his age.
Ms Harris said Barnsley had previously been made subject to a Child Abduction Warning Notice in 2024 which included the victim's age and stating the defendant should not have contact with him.
In statements summarised to the courts, the 14-year-old's mother said there had been a change in her son's behaviour since his association with Barnsley and he would leave the family home without saying where he was going.
She said her son had been using her Facebook account to make calls to the defendant and described the teenager as having outbursts in school and at home.
The mother said she was aware her son had been smoking cannabis but since he has stopped associating with Barnsley his behavior has improved.
She said her son and her family have received threats as a result of the case and he had been called a "grass".
Police attended the defendant's grandmother's home again on November 26 last year, and Barnsley was seen running out of the back of the property after handing something to his grandmother.
A further search of the address resulted in the seizure of cash, phones, drug paraphernalia, and 4.8g of female flowering head cannabis. Messages on the phone were related to the supply of cocaine and cannabis.
Barnsley later pleaded guilty to trafficking, contrary to s. 2(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and being concerned in the supply of class A and B drugs.
He did so on the basis that he did not threaten the 14-year-old boy, the boy was given drugs "as a reward", he used the boy to facilitate the supply of drugs and never saw harm done to the boy.
The court heard he was of previous good character, but had cautions for being concerned in the supply of and possession with intent to supply cannabis.
In mitigation, Jeffrey Jones said his client had mainly been dealing in cannabis, and he was a user of both cocaine and cannabis. The barrister said the defendant was a youth himself when the offending began and described him having "fractured early teenage years".
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Judge Daniel Williams sentenced Barnsley to three years detention in a young offenders institute.
Following the hearing, Louisa Robertson of the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Tyler Barnsley knew he was recruiting a child into his dangerous criminal activities, showing no concern for the child's welfare and only thinking of himself and his drug profits.
'The investigation by Gwent Police allowed the Crown Prosecution Service to present a strong case, resulting in Barnsley's guilty pleas.
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'Using children to profit from criminal activities is abhorrent, and the Crown Prosecution Service will prosecute those who do so whenever our legal test is met.'